Urban Fantasy Fun...

3 Reasons this one's worth reading:

• Irresistible title:  It happened One Doomsday
• Fun first line:  Dru Jasper had no idea that the world was prophesied to come to a fiery end in six days.
• It's got magic, mayhem and some very engaging characters:  Dru uses her magical powers and the crystals she sells to help people with supernatural problems, which is good because Greyson Carter has a big one. He recently purchased a possessed black muscle car at an auction and because of it he's now turning into a demon. And not just any demon; he's turning into one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. And unless Dru and her sorceress friend, Rane, can figure out how to reverse the curse it just might mean the end of the world. And the end of Greyson, who's handsome and nice and who can amplify Dru's magic in ways she never expected. (Plus, he kisses great.)

Need more?

With scary demons and some awesome crystal-powered magic, memorable (and likeable!) characters and good writing, Laurence MacNaughton has created a magical roller coaster ride of a fantasy novel; it's humorous, entertaining, and a lot of fun. I can't wait to get to the library and check out the sequel, A Kiss Before Doomsday, to find out what happens to Dru next. This fun urban fantasy certainly cast a bookish spell on me.

Happy Reading!

R.I.P.

 "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary. BLOODY MARY."

I bit my lip and stared at the mirror. Jess claimed there was a right way and a wrong way to summon Bloody Mary. This time we were doing it the right way. ... The candle on the vanity cast eerie shadows, our forms tall and distorted against the walls. Our hands were clenched together so tightly our fingers trembled. This time, it took only seconds for condensation to cover the glass. A thick fog swirled, gray tendrils of smoke spinning in a maelstrom, before a black figure appeared, the vague outline of a woman...

Title: Mary: The Summoning by Hillary Monahan
Genre: Supernatural/Ghosts/Horror
Length: 248 pages
The Peril: A candlelit bathroom. A line of salt under the mirror. Four teen-age girls holding hands. Let the summoning of Bloody Mary begin. It's Jess's idea, but Shauna, Anna, and Kate all agree to the plan. And the thrilling fear of seeing the ghostly Mary through the fog of the mirror is a lot of fun until the ritual goes wrong and Mary gets out. Now she's gotten a taste of Shauna's blood, and she wants more. The girls have to figure out how to get Mary back in the mirror before time runs out.

My Thoughts: I remember playing the Bloody Mary game at sleepovers when I was growing up. None of us actually believed in ghosts, or in the legend of Bloody Mary, but there was always this inch of doubt when it was your turn to stand in front of the mirror. If I'd read this book back then, there's no way I would ever have considered saying Mary's name out loud even in fun. This book is that scary, especially when Mary claws her way out of the mirror and attacks Shauna. I don't recommend reading this book late at night if you're home alone. Mary is genuinely creepy and the absolute last ghost you want following you around in every and any shiny surface (from car windows to shower doors). Monahan does an excellent job of building suspense and I liked the mystery she created around Mary Worth, and how and why she became Bloody Mary in the first place. This is definitely a R.I.P.-ping read (my third!) and a book that will haunt you. I loved it.

Happy Reading! 

The Vanishing by Wendy Webb

CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Julia Bishop - a young, beautiful, and vulnerable widow in need of a safe haven.
Amaris Sinclair - a "famous and rather eccentric horror novelist" with a deep interest in the occult who dropped out of public view ten years ago, and who currently resides at Havenwood.
Adrian Sinclair - Amaris' grown-up son who purportedly hires Julia to be a companion to his aging mother, but who has another reason for wanting Julia at Havenwood.
Drew McCullough - the sexy Scotsman who takes care of the horses; he's also Havenwood's real owner and heir.
Tundra, Tika and Molly - the three Alaskan Malamutes who protect Havenwood from ALL trespassers, both ghostly and real.

While not a perfect book, The Vanishing is an entertaining mix of mystery, psychological thriller and supernatural ghost story. And it takes place in one of those atmospheric gothic mansions, complete with library, that I've always wanted to visit. But Havenwood seems to be haunted by more than just the spirits of the dead. Are Julia's ghostly visions real, or mere hallucinations? And what secrets are Amaris and her son hiding? The fun part of this book is in trying to figure out just where the truth lies. The setting is great and the characters are sympathetic and likeable. So ignore the few minor flaws here and there and enjoy the ride.

Happy Reading!

3 YA novels for readers of ANY age...

Amber House by Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed and Larkin Reed
First Line:  I was almost sixteen the first time my grandmother died.
My thoughts: Echoes of the past haunt Amber House like ghosts, and soon-to-be-sixteen Sarah Parsons is the only one in this time who can see them. Although sometimes it seems as if the past can see her, too. And if she can interact with the past, can she change it? And what will that do to her own future?
There are so many things that I love about this book: the secret doorways and tunnels of Amber House; Sarah's relationship with her younger autistic brother, Sam; and Jackson, the neighbor boy, who had visions of Sarah long before he ever met her. Sarah herself, smart and stubborn, is refreshingly real and easy to root for. Amber House is never dull. In fact, it is so well-written that even though I prefer stand-alone novels, I actually can't wait for its sequel, Neverwas, to come out.

School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
First Line:  Killing a vampire is actually a lot easier than you'd think.
My thoughts:  At last, a teen book where the girl doesn't fall in love with the vampire.  What a refreshing change! This book is kind of a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural--only instead of the Winchester brothers, you have the Brannick women: Isolde and her mother, Aislinn. And the only thing that scares 16-year-old Izzy? Attending high school for the very first time.  (Ghosts and vampires are so much easier to deal with than teen-age boys!) So many things about this book made me laugh. It's definitely a fun (and fast) read. Izzy Brannick is such a great character; I hope Hawkins writes many more books about her and her otherworldly adventures.

Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
First Line: I was born invisible.
My thoughts: I love the premise of this book: cursed by his own grandfather before he was born, Stephen has never been visible to another human being. Not even himself. He lives an invisible life, never interacting or connecting with anyone. But that all changes when Elizabeth moves in down the hall. Because Elizabeth can see him. And maybe she can break his curse. It's the bond that develops between Stephen and Elizabeth that I liked most about this book. What I didn't love is how the chapters alternate between Stephen's and Elizabeth's points of view. (And does every YA novel have to be written in first person?) Despite this, Invisibility gets points for creativity and is definitely a novel worth checking out.

Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

     I spotted this book on the new arrivals display at the library and checked it out on a whim.  Talk about a serendipitous find! I have always been fascinated by Roanoke Island and what happened to its first lost colony.  Over 400 years ago, the 114 colonists on Roanoke mysteriously disappeared.  In Gwenda Bond's Blackwood it's happened again:  overnight, 114 people currently living on Roanoke disappear without a trace.  There are only two people on the island who might be able to figure out why, and they're both just seventeen.  Phillips Rawlings is the sheriff's delinquent son who happens to be able to hear the voices of the dead.  And then there's Miranda Blackwood, daughter of the town drunk, who is bound to the island in some mysterious way that not even she understands, and whose family carries a curse that dates back to the original colonists.  A curse that might be the key to the disappearances, past and present.
     Miranda's father is murdered, and both Phillips and Miranda are suspected in his death.  But they know that someone else on the island is responsible, the same someone who is trying to bring back the original colonists of Roanoke Island.  Somehow they must find a way to stop him before his dark alchemy affects them all.
     This was a fun read.  Bond's theory of what happened to the first colonists is original and well-researched, with just the right touch of the supernatural and unearthly.  And her two main characters are both engaging and memorable.  I liked this book a lot and look forward to reading her next one.